Hi – after 2 months of thorough and consistent dusting (outlets, voids) and spraying (FSMP in cracks and crevices, vents, ceiling light caps and anywhere else I cannot dust) and pouring down drains (lemon air and Sanishine and enz a bac), I have yet to see any area completely free of springtail activity. I have the bug catcher traps to monitor this. My next step will be to drill holes in the wall. Can you please clarify how far apart do you feel like is adequate to drill to be able to dust into the wall? The dust spreads pretty far so I was thinking 6 feet apart but please let me know thoughts. Additionally can you please elaborate exactly where springtails like to nest given that I will now be drilling and dusting? I know you mentioned in between the stud and wall space but could they be nesting in the ceiling? Should I be drilling the ceiling as well? The problem just seems so overwhelming I have no clue where to start. Thanks.
So first, to avoid getting overwhelmed, narrow down the area to treat. The first total “area” should be one side/wall of your home. Start on a small one and then on that wall, decide if you want to treat every room or just 1-2 rooms.
So lets say your kitchen is where they are active and to the left of the kitchen is a dining room (front of the home) and to the right, a bathroom and then a laundry room(back of the home).
In this example, the kitchen and the bathroom are the problem areas. The dining room doesn’t have springtail activity so in this case, you won’t be dusting the wall.
As for the kitchen; lets say it has counters and cabinets against the exterior wall. There is a window above the sink and the counters below the window, as well as the sink area, have ongoing issues with springtails.
As for the bathroom; it too has a window BUT this window is low to the floor, less than 2 feet up, and springtails are regularly seen active on the window sill, the wall below the window and the baseboard at the floor.
So lets start in the bathroom. Your focal point should be the space between the window and the floor. This is typically where pests like springtails will focus. Directly under the window will often be moist and very desirable by pests like springtails.
So to get the wall properly dusted, you’ll need to fill the void with dust using our PEST-X JECTORS.
So how hard will it be to treat? Not hard at all. And in the picture below, you can see we have placed a Jector in between all the studs under the window so each space can be properly dusted. Now how many Jectors you’ll need will be determined by how wide the window is. In virtually all cases, these voids will be formed by the 2×4’s which are spaced 16″ apart. This spacing has been code here in the U.S. for many years so you should assume your home was built this way unless you have reason to believe otherwise.
Now in the picture above, the wall is actually a basement wall and it does NOT have any sheetrock or paneling installed. We used this wall for our example because it shows the spacing of the 2x4s and how many Jectors you would to need to install to get the area under the window properly dusted.
The “white” arrows are pointing to the Jector placements and then “black” lines are highlighting the 2×4’s behind the wall covering.
Jectors placed in this position would be able to disperse the dust in all directions as well as filter “down” so you would get good coverage for every space with one Jector per void.
Install the Jectors by drilling a 3/8″ hole and then pressing them into the hole or tapping them gently with a hammer.
This next picture is showing where a Jector would be placed alongside the window.
So for any room with just a window, this would be the best way to start. In virtually all cases, invasive pests will be coming in around windows so focus on treating to their side and under the window sill.
And the best treatment for this space would be XEMPT DUST puffed into the wall using the CRUSADER HAND DUSTER. The Crusader is made to fit “into” the Jector nice and tight (once the rubber tip is removed) so the dust will only go into the wall, not on the floor below. Puff 4-5 times and then cap the Jector to keep the dust inside and you’re done.
As for the kitchen; it would be wise to dust the same void under the window. But in this example, the wall has tiles. So do you need to drill through them? Probably not.
The wall void under the window can be dusted by drilling through the back of the cabinet like this:
You will want to position the holes in between the 2×4’s so remember, they will be coming down the outer edge of the window so use that as the starting point and go from there.
As for the false floor under the cabinet? Drill a hole 2 feet in from the outer edge as shown in this picture and install a Jector there to start.
The space under most all cabinets is another open, hollow void pests like springtails like to exploit. So for a cabinet 6 feet wide, you’d need 2 Jectors. Placement would be 2 feet from either side and so the two would be 4 feet apart.
In summary, wall voids and the bottom of cabinets should be dusted with Xempt Dust for long lasting protection. Use X Jectors to get the dust applied so you can seal up the hole and have the option of treating again if needed.
Pest-X Jectors: https://bugspray.com/equipment/stations/pest-x-jector
Xempt Dust: https://bugspray.com/exempt/dust/pest-xempt-dust
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